Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I normally don't care too much about how absolutely accurate the color profiles of my photos are. I'm the video guy, so if the pictures are a little off, or my grammar's ain't perfect, I get a pass.

But here I was concerned that my average-at-best photography skills would give readers a false impression of exactly how cooked this hamburger was. You'll have to take my word for it, but this was a pretty perfect medium. It may have been the bright light, but the photo makes this look a little rarer than it was.

I'm not a big fan of rare burgers, as I've always believed the beef fat therein should be hot and flowing, not cool and flabby. If I want raw meat I'll make a tartar. At the same time, I do want to keep the burger somewhat pink, if possible, so it stays moist and tender.

The technique you're about to watch is fairly straightforward, but like any cooking methods, it takes a little practice. The good news is, once you get a feel for this "cook it just over halfway up" system, you should be a perfectly pink hamburger making machine.

By the way, I won't engage in any inane debates on the wisdom of eating less-than-well-done burgers. The topic's been covered online, ad nauseam (pun intended). Is it potentially dangerous to eat a pink burger? Of course, but so is crossing the street. Enjoy!

Ever since I found your food blogg I am totally and utter addicted! Love it! And am passing it on to everyone! Only two things I could wish for is more frequent updates and and your take on something wild likenwild boar,myeahbIm serious lol. Best from Sweden! X

Im a little confused. In Germany I learned, that Americans like their beef for Hamburgers in a very plain way, without any spices like salt and pepper. But nevertheless, that's the way I always made my own Hamburgers. Go on, Chef John! American Food is better than it's reputation. I love this American classics!

Interesting..what Andre said. I'm from the indian subcontinent so a lot of food here in America is quite simple compared to our's in which almost everyone of them you'll find, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, chile powder, lots of oil, etc. You can even buy some bags that come with all the spices mixed for a certain dish. But I enjoy American food; though maybe slightly altered.

Speaking of perfectly juicy burgers, they should only be put on the right type of bun. I hate hamburger buns that are either so soft that they turn into a soggy mess the moment they make contact with the juices from a properly cooked burger, or so "rustic" that you spend enough time trying to chew through them that your jaw starts to tire before you finish. I would love a recipe for buns that are somewhere in the middle.

Just use lower heat. Eventually the meat will cook thru. BTW, medium meat is not rare, and is NO danger to anyone. Even med. meat that's pink has reached a temp of 140+, and everything potentially dangerous is killed. Not sure why people still don't know this. It's science! :)

I love a medium rare steak but a hamburger I always cook well done. First of all don't buy hamburger buy ground chuck or sirloin. Hamburger meat can have nasty ingredients in it where chuck or sirloin must be just that. It's actually better to grind your own if you can.